Tim Sullivan is a crime writer, screenwriter and director. His critically acclaimed crime series features the brilliantly persistent DS George Cross who has Autistic Spectrum Condition. The clever, twisty, touching and funny series is set in Bristol and Somerset. Tim’s film credits include A Handful of Dust, Jack and Sarah, and Cold Feet. Early in his career he directed Jeremy Brett’s iconic portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in ITV’s The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, cementing his lifelong passion for crime fiction.
Tim Sullivan's latest title The Tailor, the eighth in the series, is published on the 16th of July 2026.
Describe your latest book in one sentence.
A bespoke tailor is found brutally murdered in the toilet of a Bristol to London train. Who on earth would want/need to kill a tailor?
What soundtrack do you suggest readers should listen to while they read your latest book?
Anything by George Fenton or Ennio Morricone. George wrote the score for my first produced movie script A Handful of Dust. I remember the recording session at the Abbey Road Studios in London. Not only was I thrilled to be in such a hallowed place, but I was amazed at how the music just elevated the movie.
Morricone was just a genius, from his work on Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Westerns to The Mission, it is so varied but so evocative. ‘Deborah’s Theme’ in Once Upon a Time in America and ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ are works of astonishing emotional complexity and evocative beauty.
What's next?
Book #9 in the George Cross series. Title tbc. I’m also going on my first book tour to the US in August which I’m so excited about. Grove Atlantic have published all the George Cross books since last September and he seems to be going down very well with American readers. The Dentist has actually been nominated for a Barry Award, which is thrilling.
What was the first book you remember reading?
Winnie the Pooh. I was in Singapore and it’s a bit of a cheat because it was on tape, but the reader Sterling Holloway had such a mellifluous voice it was enchanting. Talk about a voice that sounded like it was coated in honey …
Please list your top five all-time favourite books (any genre)
- Portrait of a Lady by Henry James.
- Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- Farewell my Lovely by Raymond Chandler
- The World According to Garp by John Irving
- The Poet by Michael Connelly.
What is the most underrated crime novel, and why does it deserve more attention?
Gosh I can’t answer this. It’s difficult to determine which hasn’t had attention.
The Gumshoe Dude sneaks into your latest story while you’re not looking. What is he doing there?
Hopefully looking for typos.
And now for the quick questions:
Top book on your TBR (to-be-read)
Bleak House.
Poirot or Rebus?
Too tough a choice and so very different.
Keyboard or pen?
Pen every time. But a proper fountain pen.
Audio or E-book?
I listen to audio books for non-fiction. I can’t seem to get on with fiction in that format, I seem to drift off into other thoughts. Don’t really like E-books if I’m honest but very happy if people read mine as E-books!
If you turn on the radio now, what station is playing?
Radio 4
And finally, your writing beverage of choice?
Tea made with loose leaves and a drop of milk.
Questions ©Bonnie Burke-Patel and Anneli Meeder; Responses ©Tim Sullivan, author photo ©Tim Sullivan
